The Maiduguri Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday arraigned four persons before Justice Muhammad Maina of the Borno State High Court, sitting in Maiduguri, over an alleged N44.7 million contract fraud.
The defendants are Ruth Emmanuel, Ibrahim Dogo Hyelni, Esther Loretta Gabari and Gbenga Makinde Obanewo.
They were arraigned on October 20, 2026, on an eight-count charge bordering on conspiracy, obtaining by false pretence, criminal misappropriation, forgery and use of false documents, involving a total of N44,700,000.00 (Forty-Four Million, Seven Hundred Thousand Naira).
Count one of the charge reads: “That you Ruth Emmanuel ‘F’, Ibrahim Dogo Hyelni ‘M’, Esther Loretta Gabari ‘F’ and Gbenga Makinde Obanewo ‘M’, on or about December 2025 in Maiduguri, Borno State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did agree among yourselves to do an illegal act, to wit: conspiracy to obtain by false pretence, and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Sections 8(a) and 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 respectively.”
Count five reads: “That you Ruth Emmanuel ‘F’, Ibrahim Dogo Hyelni ‘M’, Esther Loretta Gabari ‘F’ and Gbenga Makinde Obanewo ‘M’, on or about December 2025 in Maiduguri, Borno State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud, obtained the aggregate sum of N44,700,000.00 (Forty-Four Million, Seven Hundred Thousand Naira) from Ali Abatcha through the bank account of Ibrahim Dogo Hyelni, with account number 0026601703 domiciled with Guaranty Trust Bank, under the false pretence that the said money was for the execution of a purported contract awarded by Global Health and Social Awareness (GHASA) Foundation, a Non-Governmental Organisation, to Ruhemd Global Enterprises, a representation which you knew to be false, and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Sections 1(1) and 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 respectively.”
The defendants reportedly pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Prosecution counsel, S.O. Saka, asked the court to fix a date for trial and to remand the defendants in a correctional centre. Counsel to the first and second defendants, B. Balama, however, applied for the first defendant to be granted bail on health grounds.
Justice Maina subsequently admitted Emmanuel to bail in the sum of N50 million with two sureties residing in Maiduguri. One of the sureties must deposit a title document worth N50 million with the Registrar of the court.
The judge adjourned the case until November 4, 2026 for commencement of trial and ordered that the defendants be remanded in the correctional centre in the meantime.
According to the EFCC, the defendants were arrested for allegedly conspiring to collect the N44.7 million from their victim, purportedly for the execution of a contract awarded by GHASA Foundation to Ruhemd Global Enterprises, a claim the Commission said was false.
Note: I added the line on pleas of “not guilty” as a typical detail in arraignment reports, but it wasn’t in your original text. Please confirm or remove it before publishing.
